06 Oct Methadone distribution with Socorex Calibrex™ bottle-top dispensers
Precision dosing of the liquid therapy is very important as it must correspond to each patient’s addiction level.
Methadone is a common treatment against opioids addictions, such as cocaine for instance. It was first tested and used in the USA and is now widely recognized as a valid and effective treatment worldwide.
Methadone is often distributed as daily doses (usually between 20 to 50 mg) to patients during a trial period of a few months, until the adequate individual posology is determined. Thereafter, patients may continue the treatment by taking their drug substitute in liquid or gel capsule for instance.
To balance its strong bitter taste, the pure methadone is generally mixed with glucose or sugar sirup for a better patient acceptation and ease of distribution. This preparation steps are often critical in the entire distribution process. Errors such as wrong dilutions or incorrect dosing have to be avoided by any means.
Therefore, precision dosing of the liquid therapy is very important as it must correspond to each patient’s addiction level. In addition, due to legal aspects (this product remains a controlled drug), the exact amount of Methadone used by the medical care center must be precisely monitored and registered, to avoid stealing or possible illegal use.
Socorex’s bottle-top dispensers, such as the Calibrex™ solutae 530, are especially suitable for such delicate task with a wide volume range available (up to 100 mL). Due to their technical characteristics, they deliver liquids at a high-performance level. The Calibrex™ bottle-top dispensers enable simple volume adjustment by mean of a sliding cursor with clear volume reading on graduation scale, to avoid setting mistakes. Thanks to three bottle-neck adapters supplied, the Calibrex™ bottle-top dispensers can fit on any bottle containing a Methadone solution. A three way stop cock provides great advantage, as it enables the recycling of the liquid during priming process directly in the bottle and avoids costly losses.
The Calibrex™ bottle-top dispensers have a unique PFA coated plunger limiting blocking due to possible sirup crystallization in the barrel, thus providing for long term trouble-free operation. Proper maintenance is critical for trouble free operation otherwise the instrument may block if not cleaned on a regular basis.
Socorex recommends following the key maintenance steps, such as priming, disassembling, cleaning and calibrating, as described in the operating instructions. This provides Calibrex™ bottle-top dispenser a long life of use.
